1630s: Most of England was made up of cities and villages that were integrated with the natural world depicted in Herbert's “Virtue.”

Today: After the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century and urban development of the twentieth, England is no longer the green, open country it was in Herbert's time. However, through concerted conservation efforts much of the nation's forest land has been restored.

1630s: Universities like Cambridge were dedicated primarily to educating young men to serve in the priesthood and thus focused on divinity studies.

Today: The great English universities provide secular education in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities to male and female students alike.

1630s: The English monarchy was the central governing power.

Today: England is a constitutional monarchy in which the government is made up of an elected prime minister, an elected House of Commons, and a House of Lords...